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Keeana Barber (CEO of WDB Marketing)

Keeana Barber

CEO of WDB Marketing

MC/Host

Keeana Barber is the current CEO of WDB Marketing, a design and printing agency that works with over 800 small businesses annually. She began her career as a graphic designer but has helped build WDB to become a full-service marketing agency and printing manufacturer. To date, WDB has helped thousands of businesses develop their brand identity, marketing strategy and presence within the marketplace. Keeana is also the founder of the WDB L.E.G.A.C.Y. Awards, an annual gala that celebrates the impact of Black entrepreneurs. In addition to her business endeavors, Keeana is passionate about giving back to the community. She is the editor of a community-based publication, Voice of the Chi Magazine and sits on the board of Chamber 57, Africa Global Chamber of Commerce and Neighborscapes. Her goal is to leave a legacy of helping entrepreneurs create sustainable businesses that will go on to impact and improve their surrounding communities.

Alonzo Abron (Director of A. Progeny Global)

Alonzo Abron

Director of A. Progeny Global

Moderator

Alonzo Abron has worked in real estate for over 10 years. As the principal owner of A.Progeny Global, Alonzo's vision to develop real estate globally started in 2009. After graduating from DePaul University, Alonzo obtained his real estate managing brokers license. He immediately began investing, rehabbing and selling residential homes. Understanding that cash flow is king, Alonzo then began investing in multi-family projects to expand his investment portfolio.

In 2019 Alonzo started A.Progeny Global, a full brokerage firm with a focus on luxury buyers, sellers and investors. His mission is to help others create generational wealth that can transform communities. Alonzo joined the board of the Africa Global Chamber of Commerce, in an effort to help facilitate international real estate deals. His vision is to become a global real estate consulting firm, focused on deals in the U.S., the Caribbean, and Africa.

Olivier Kamanzi (Chairman at Africa Global Chamber of Commerce (AGCC))

Olivier Kamanzi

Chairman at Africa Global Chamber of Commerce (AGCC)

Speaker

Olivier Kamanzi is a Capital markets expert, International Financial Sector Development Consultant, Inspirational Speaker, and Philanthropist. He is Co-Founder and Chairman of the Africa Global Chamber of Commerce headquartered in Chicago. Mr. Kamanzi is the Founder and CEO of Globrock Group, a holding company of Globrock Financial, Globrock Trade, and Globrock Technologies. Globrock Financial is a global management consulting and investment advisory firm with its headquarters in Chicago and its subsidiaries both in the US and Africa. He is former Deputy CEO of Capital Market Authority of Rwanda, former Senior Investment Specialist of Citigroup (Citibank), and Executive employee at JPMorgan Chase. He is the Founder and Chairman of The Olivier Kamanzi Foundation – a public charitable organization. Also, he is President of the Board of Directors of Saint Sabina Academy an affiliate of Saint Sabina Catholic Church based in Chicago, United States.
Mr. Kamanzi assisted in the establishment of the Rwandan capital markets industry and the creation of the Rwanda Capital Market Authority and the Rwanda Stock Exchange. He initiated different policies including the East Africa Regional Financial Market Infrastructure Development and Regional Capital Markets harmonization and integration. He assisted in the development and implementation of the East African Central Depository Systems for securities and Securities Industry Training Institute (SITI East Africa).
Mr. Kamanzi is a current Doctorate Candidate in Philosophy Organizational Leadership and Entrepreneurship with a specialization in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. He holds MBA in Finance from Ashford University, the Forbes School of Business in Iowa, and a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland.
Mr. Kamanzi’s hobbies are running, reading, and serving the community by mentoring youth, providing financial literacy classes, and he teaches Stock Market Program to 8th Grade. He appeared in various radios, TV, and written media including WVON Radio, BBC World Services, Voice of America, CNBC Africa, Reuters, Nation, East African, GhanaWeb, and many more. He has written multiples articles on financial and leadership matters.

Hon. Phumzile Mazibuko (Consul General at South African Consulate-General Chicago)

Hon. Phumzile Mazibuko

Consul General at South African Consulate-General Chicago

Keynote Speaker

As of January 2018, Ms. Phumzile Mazibuko is the Consul General of South Africa in Chicago, where she is responsible for the overall management of the Consulate General. The Consul General is keen to promote trade and investments, enhance people-to-people cooperation in the field of arts, culture, education, and effectively render consular services to South Africans in 14 states in the Midwest region of the United States. The Consul General’s consular jurisdiction includes the following states, Illinois, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, Indiana, Oklahoma, Ohio, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, and Arkansas.

Ms. Mazibuko has served in different capacities within both the national and provincial governments in South Africa. Ms. Mazibuko is a career diplomat having served in the South African High Commission in New Delhi, India.

She is a graduate of the University of Johannesburg (UJ), formerly known as the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU), completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Humanitarian Law & Refugee Law.

Frank Martin (Sr. Vice-President Development at Milhouse Engineering & Construction)

Frank Martin

Sr. Vice-President Development at Milhouse Engineering & Construction

Speaker

Frank is a member of the senior management team at Milhouse Engineering and Construction, Inc. He has spent more than five years working in West African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya. Most recently, Frank and his team established an energy and power infrastructure business in Bermuda, which focuses on power generation and distribution.

Prior to Milhouse Energy, Frank served as Vice President within Morgan Stanley’s Asset Management unit, where he managed a portfolio of more than $100M of Equity, Fixed Income, and Hybrid securities. Prior to Morgan Stanley, he held multiple roles within the investment banking and derivatives trading units of Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and Northern Trust.

Frank holds a B.S. in Commerce (Accountancy) from DePaul University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with concentrations in Analytic Finance and Economics.

Frank is also a board member of Milhouse Charities, which supports scientific and educational organizations engaged in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. Milhouse Charities works to advance academic achievement and opportunities for minorities and other underrepresented youth. It extends to benevolent community-based programs and organizations that benefit people of all ages in the Chicagoland area and beyond.

Amber Johns (Principal | Corporate Attorney at Jackson Corporate Law, P.C.)

Amber Johns

Principal | Corporate Attorney at Jackson Corporate Law, P.C.

Speaker

Amber M. Johns is a general counsel for AKUR8, an international InsurTech pricing SaaS company, and she is a principal at Jackson Corporate Law where she oversees the international business compliance and corporate law departments.
As general counsel, Ms. Johns manages legal compliance across all three AKUR8 offices situated in Paris, London, and New York. She is also the data privacy officer and oversees compliance with international privacy laws, most notably the European Union’s General Data Privacy Regulation. As a principal attorney, Ms. Johns oversees and manages the international corporate structuring and international compliance departments of Jackson Corporate Law.
Ms. Johns specializes in complex international compliance management and in developing compliance programs for multinational companies, particularly, in Africa and in Europe. Her diverse range of experience has given her extensive practice in dealing with the General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR), the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the U.K. Anti-Bribery Act, and other international laws. Ms. Johns has overseen and advised on industry-specific compliance issues in business-to-business services, manufacturing, consumer products, petroleum, and electronics. She also has extensive experience in negotiating and managing international investment agreements, particularly in Africa, and international distribution, operation, and purchase agreements.
Ms. Johns is fluent in French, serves on the Boards of the Africa Global Chamber of Commerce and Henry Booth House. She is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Black Women Lawyers Association, the Cook County Bar Association and she is involved with the French American Chamber of Commerce, the International Trade Association of Greater Chicago, and is an Advisor for the African Business Portal.
Ms. Johns holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and in International Relations from the University of California, Berkeley. She received her Juris Doctorate (JD) and her Law and Business Certificate from Vanderbilt University Law School and her master’s in law (LLM) in Business and Trade Law from the University of Illinois, Chicago – John Marshall Law School. She is certified by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) as a Certified International Privacy Professional/Europe (CIPP/E) and a Certified International Privacy Manager (CIPM).